


Flowers Can Mean More Than Just Beauty

by AnOtakuWithNoLife



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: (Leo is a sweet tomato), (Takumi is a precious cinnamon roll), (only for a bit tho), Anxiety Disorder, Attempted Sexual Assault, Cheese, Corrin is the ultimate matchmaker, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, F/F, F/M, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation Spoilers, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Language of Flowers, Leo is dense, Leo needs one too, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oh wow this is a bit dark, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, Spoilers, Takumi has low self-esteem, Takumi is a shy pineapple, Takumi needs a hug, Wow more darkness, gender-neutral corrin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-09 10:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11102232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnOtakuWithNoLife/pseuds/AnOtakuWithNoLife
Summary: Here's my trust, now don't break it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> LeoKumi is my #1 OTP right now. I need to get my mind off of this somehow, but my mind says otherwise.  
> I haven't actually played Fire Emblem Fates yet. Some characters might be OOC. I apologize in advance.
> 
> Every character in the story is a mix between their default promotion classes.
> 
> I have this idea that all Hoshidans can ride pegasi, okay? I have no idea how they get around normally anyway besides on foot for battles.
> 
> By the way, I can't Odin speech, just letting you know now; I CAN'T WRITE ODIN SPEECH.
> 
> Also, Takumi is slightly younger than Leo in this story. (Because he's more immature)
> 
> Leo is a bit weak to women. 
> 
> ** means character focus changes

Leo didn't know what to think. He had learned so much within a year. That the so called merciless kingdom of Hoshido wasn't what he had been taught the entirety of his life. That the older sibling that he had been raised alongside with wasn't actually his blood-related sibling. That there was a third hidden kingdom below the Bottomless Canyon, pulling the strings behind the war. That his father wasn't actually alive or human anymore, and had been controlling Nohr to fight Hoshido. It was all difficult to take in, that the war was finally over, and they were now at peace with their once-bitter enemies.   
  
_"I wish it were that easy to just forgive, you know?"  
_

 

**

  
    Takumi wasn't sure when it stopped. Maybe it was during the war, fighting the invisible enemies of Valla alongside their long-hated rival Nohr. Maybe it was after the war, when amends were made, treaties signed, a veil of peace draping over the two kingdoms. Or it could have even been at the first encounter, when Corrin was asked to choose a side. There was that feeling, the feeling of strained relationships, bitterness, a feeling that would swallow him whole, and make him forget himself. He couldn't quite remember when it disappeared, but he only knew that it was gone; and replaced with a new feeling.  
  
    " _I know........but healing can only begin with trust._ "  


 

______________________

 

 

    "Hey Takumi, what do you think of Leo?" Corrin asked while polishing their wooden practice sword after sparring with Takumi.

    ".......What?" Takumi lost his composure at sudden question.

    Corrin gazed at him with their red eyes. "Like, the two of you have been getting closer together as friends, but sometimes you look like you're longing for something when Leo leaves."

    "I........" Takumi was at a loss for words. "I think that he's a person with similar interests as me, and we get along well. Even if he is insufferable at times."

    "Huh, Leo said something similar when I asked him." Corrin studied their wooden sword, and placed it back on the wooden sword rack when they were satisfied. "Oh yeah, Leo's birthday is coming up soon! You should come to the celebration in Nohr! I think everyone else in the family is coming too. I managed to get Ryoma to take a day off from being king. Yukimura will temporarily take charge of the kingdom for three days.

    "Three days?!" Takumi exclaimed. "How long is this celebration?"

    "Well, in Nohr, it's customary to celebrate the birthdate of royalty with a grand banquet. Plus, I think you all need to know my Nohrian siblings better," Corrin reasoned. "It's a request not only from the ruler of Valla, but also as a request as your older sibling. Please, Takumi?" They begged with their eyes. 

    "....Fine. It doesn't sound like a bad thing anyway." Takumi was trying his best to not childishly grin.

    "Yes!" Corrin happily jumped around, excited to tell the younger Nohrian prince about all the new guests. "I'll send a letter to Xander to tell him all of you are coming!" The Vallite ruler skipped to their room, leaving Takumi alone in the training room. 

    "There they go." Takumi sighed, and also placed his practice sword back in the rack. "I'm not sure what to get as a present though........"

 

**

 

    "Leo! What do you think of this one?" Elise cheerfully pulled out another fancy suit, showing it to Leo. 

    "Like I said Elise, I don't need to wear anything special." Leo pushed the suit away, and Elise pouted. 

    Camilla also walked in at that exact moment and Elise immediately bounded over to her. "Camilla! Do you think this would look good on Leo for his birthday celebration?" She held out the suit for the older sister to see. 

    Camilla chuckled. "Yes dear, I think it would look lovely."

    "See? Camilla says so too!" Elise smiled. "It's decided then, you're going to wear this on your birthday!"

    Leo tried to protest, but Camilla's smile made him think otherwise. "O-of course. I look forward to it." 

    "Good, I'd love to see my dearest little brother in such a charming outfit at his banquet. You will look amazing darling; no one will be able to resist you." Camilla commented.

    "I bring news, my siblings;" Xander suddenly interrupted them. "Apparently the Hoshidan royal family and their retainers are also coming to Nohr with Corrin for the birthday celebration."

    "Oh, that sounds delightful!" Camilla smiled warmly at the idea of seeing the Hoshidan siblings again. "I haven't been able to talk with them in a while; with the restoration going on and whatnot. Hinoka and I have some catching up to do." Camilla was obviously fond of the red-haired pegasus warrior, and sometimes Leo suspected that there was more than just close friendship happening between them. 

    "Yeah! I can't wait to see Sakura again!" Elise became even more hyper when Sakura was mentioned. The two youngest absolutely adored one another; they would chatter on for days when they met.

    "I'm honored that they would come this far to celebrate my birthday." Leo admitted. "I thought only Corrin would be coming back."

    "Indeed." Xander agreed. "I believe Corrin wishes for all of us to bond more, as we are all their dear family. It's not a bad idea, as we want these friendships last for many years between our two kingdoms. The King of Hoshido is an interesting man; I wish to converse with him more about how he rules."

    Even the outwardly cold Xander held some fondness for King Ryoma. His entire family seemed to like the Hoshido family as more than just royalty; not that Leo could make fun of them about it because he was on the same boat. Prince Takumi had a very intriguing presence; Leo couldn't quite describe it, but when he talked with the archer, he always felt like he could just be himself. Not the cold, calculating genius that the kingdom saw him to be, not the cool independent brother that he was in front of his family,but just Leo. Leo, with all his flaws and concerns. The only people who knew that side of him were his retainers and Takumi. 

    Takumi. A person who shared many similarities with him. A person Leo felt like he could open up to. This feeling Leo had titled as 'affection.' Leo had realized for some time now, that, he might like Takumi as more than just a friend.  
    

 

_______________________

 

**

      
    The family was departing soon, and Takumi still hadn't decided on a present. "A good present to give to that insufferable prince......." Takumi mumbled without any bite to the title. After a while of more pacing and thinking, Takumi scratched his head in frustration. "Ugh. I'm really not good at these present type of things. Sakura is better at this stuff."

    He decided to go into the streets of Hoshido to try and find a suitable present. He eventually happened upon a florist who was telling a neighbor about the variety of flowers and how they all had different meanings. 

    _That should do it!_  Takumi grinned to himself as this was a great idea; everyone appreciates flowers.  He immediately asked the florist about the meanings of flowers. The florist smiled with warmth as she recognized Takumi. "Oh my, if it isn't the Prince of Hoshido! How can I possibly help you?"

    "Uh......... I'm looking for flowers for my friend's birthday." Takumi awkwardly stammered. "He's a very close friend of mine, and I want to send him flowers to congratulate him."

    "How sweet!" The florist cooed. "I'd be happy to help. If it's to congratulate someone, I recommend giving them flowers that represent blessings like longevity or maybe even love." Takumi hoped that his face didn't flush at the word 'love.' Thankfully, the florist either didn't notice, or just didn't point it out and continued. "Chrysanthemums are flowers that represent longevity and rejuvenation. They're also very pretty." The florist showcased a vase of chrysanthemums. 

    "That sounds good. Can I take a small bouquet of them?" Takumi asked. "And, could I also have some daffodils and pink roses?" 

    "Of course!" The florist then scurried off to retrieve the requested flowers, and handed Takumi a bouquet of daffodils, chrysanthemums, and pink roses when she returned. Not exactly the most normal looking bouquet, but the intentions were the most important. They discussed the price swiftly, and Takumi paid for the bouquet before heading back to the castle. Before he left however, the florist called to him one more time. "Good luck! I'm rooting for you!" 

    "It's not like tha-" Takumi tried to deny, but the florist had already retreated back into her shop. He sighed, "Who am I kidding? Of course I know." That he loved Leo. He had come to that conclusion quite recently, and still hadn't told anyone yet. He felt like Corrin suspected him of it, but didn't have enough proof. "Hopefully that tomato geek will catch on to my message. I at least want him to know how I feel even if he rejects me."

    While walking back to the castle with the freshly bought flowers, he ran into a frantic Sakura, who was apparently looking for him. "B-Big Brother!" She called out, noticing Takumi's return. "W-We're about to go to Nohr by pegasus. I just came here to remind you."

    "Thank you, Sakura. I'll be ready in a few minutes." Takumi headed back to his room to wrap and preserve the flowers.

    After wrapping the flowers in wrapping paper that would keep the moisture of the flowers, looked around his room to find some of his things were mysteriously missing.

    "Lord Takumi!"

    "Lord Takumi!" Two voices called at the same time. He turned around to see his trusted retainers rushing to meet him, both looking slightly exhausted. 

    Oboro started first. "Milord! We were looking everywhere for you, we have all of your things already packed. Clothes, accessories, and everything you will need at the party."

    Hinata also added, "Your pegasus is also ready to fly, and we can leave as soon as the king gives us permission." 

    Takumi felt like he could never thank his retainers enough for how loyal and helpful they were. "I..... Thanks. I still don't know what I would do without you guys." 

    "The pleasure is ours, milord." Oboro smiled along with Hinata. 

    "Well, without further ado, let's set out then." Takumi strolled to the pegasi stables. 

 

  
_______________________

 

 

    "Why is Nohr so cold?" Hinata shivered as they flew through the Nohrian skies. 

    "It's your fault for refusing the cloak." Oboro replied, unfazed by the chilly winds.

    Corrin had given everyone a heads up about Nohr's cold weather. Although everyone else had dressed appropriately for the cold, Hinata had insisted on not wearing the cloak he was given. He explained that it was for training the body. Now, he was the only one who wasn't dressed warmly. Minus Ryoma of course, who wasn't fazed by any type of weather. 

    "We should be almost there." Corrin told the Hoshidans. "Castle Krakenburg is just up ahead." She pointed to a large pit at the heart of Windmire, and as they flew closer, they noticed a large castle built in the center. 

    "Whoa. I never thought they would build their castle in a pit." Hinoka marveled. 

    Ryoma nodded in agreement. "It's actually a pretty strategic location, as it is not the easy to infiltrate on land without getting past the high walls.

    "It's so grand!" Sakura commented.

    As they started descending the pit, the details of the castle became clearer. "Where do we land?" Hinoka asked.

    "Over there! According to Xander, there's a landing platform for where the wyvern riders usually land." True to their words, a large platform of sorts had the eldest and youngest princess standing and waiting for their arrival. 

    "To land!" Ryoma told the others, and they all flew their pegasi towards the platform.

    "You're back!" Elise ran up to Corrin and gave a big hug. "And everyone else is here too!" She looked to the Hoshidan family. 

    "Welcome my darlings." Camilla gave affectionate hugs to everyone, even Ryoma who looked a bit awkward when he was hugged. Saizo did promptly refuse though. "Did you have a rough journey?"

    "No, we were fine. Thanks for worrying, Camilla." Corrin reassured her.

    "Alright then, follow me. I'll take you all to your guest rooms." Camilla gestured for the Hoshidans to follow her, and Elise walked in the back of the group along with Sakura, chatting.

 

**

 

    "You look like a snobbish noble, milord." Niles snorted slightly, much to Leo's annoyance.

    "Is all of this really necessary?" Leo sighed, all of 'this' being some very excessive hairdressing, thoroughly ironed clothes, and a tiny amount of make-up.

    "Apparently." Niles shrugged. 

    "Oh, Lord Leo, 'tis only a day, for the heavens above bring light to the land with thy descent. Come! Take up thy garments, and grace the people with your majesty!" Odin recited, greatly confusing Leo.

    "What did he say?" Leo asked Niles, who shrugged again.

    "He means since it's your birthday we're celebrating, you need to look better than usual to the public." A smooth voice answered.

    "Laslow, I was going to make him try and guess!" Niles looked slightly upset.

    Laslow smiled apologetically. "My apologies, but King Xander requests that you be ready soon to appear in the Grand Hall."

    Leo was surprised at the short time amount. "Is it that time already? I feel like it's only been a few minutes."

    "It's been a few hours, my lord." Laslow updated him. 

    Odin began another verse-like sentence. "Perhaps it is the excitement, the pure joy of such an occasion!" 

    "Maybe." Leo cut him off, done with the poetry. "Well, let's get going; the party isn't going to start itself."

 

 

____________________

 

 

    "......and I greatly thank you all for coming here for my celebration." Leo finished, hoping that he didn't sound too nervous or anything. The crowd of friends and nobles gave an applause, and at Leo's permission, the party started. 

    Multiple times during the party, he would have many nobles come up to him and congratulate him. A few, Leo could tell, wanted to either earn his favor or tried to offer him potential wives in the future. After he waved away another noblewoman who was obviously trying to seduce him, he was met with his family and also the Hoshidan family. 

    "That was a job well done, Leo." Xander complemented, patting the younger blond on the back.

    "Thanks." Leo breathed out a sigh of relief, the most stressful part of the day over. 

    "That was a great speech Leo!" Corrin hugged the other, giving more pats on the back. 

    "A year older already. How my little Leo has grown up......" Camilla reminisced. "I remember when you used to-" Leo stopped her, face slightly flushed. Hinoka laughed a bit at the reaction.

    "Aw, there something you don't want us to know about?" Leo ignored her and pretended his face wasn't tinged pink.

    "Happy birthday, Leo!" Elise gave him a bear hug, suffocating him a bit.

    "E-Elise! I think you're ch-choking him." Sakura pointed out. Elise pouted but released him anyway. He filled his lungs with air and gave Sakura a glance of thanks.

    Lastly, Takumi greeted him with an awkward, "Hi." and "Congratulations."

    Leo smiled at the other's awkwardness. He decided to tease him a little. "It's the most marvellous day in the world, my birthday, yet this is all you give?" He smirked as the other flared up. 

    "Oh shut up!" Takumi grabbed the blond's arm and started dragging him out of the main hall. "Come with me! I have something to give you." Leo effectively quieted, curious what the other prince had planned. 

    They reached a quiet hallway, with no one around, and Takumi finally stopped painfully dragging Leo's arm. "I.....I do have an actual gift for you......" He produced a bouquet of assorted flowers. He recognized two of them as they were common in Nohr, and the other type was one that Takumi had shown him before. Chrysanthemums, if he remembered correctly. 

    "Flowers." He stared in awe, surprised that the younger actually got a gift for him. 

    "Don't laugh at me! I wasn't sure what to get you, and since everyone appreciates flowers......" Takumi then avoided Leo's eyes. 

    "I wasn't going to-" Leo explained, but Takumi ran off. Like the shy and tsundere child he was. He sighed. "I was going to thank you before you ran off." He mumbled to no one in particular. He decided to go after the silver-haired archer, at least, before he ran into some nobles he recognized.

 

**

 

    "Maybe he doesn't like flowers." Takumi was trying to calm himself down over the meaningless outburst. "Or I'm just too weird that he was freaked out. Or I picked the wrong flowers because they mean something else in Nohr." Takumi fiddled with his hair. "I'll go apologize to him for running off." He started walking back to the previous empty hallway, but heard voices. Carefully, he hid himself behind the corner, and peeked out at the scene.

    "These flowers are so horribly picked! They really don't go together well, do they, Lord Leo?" A young woman's voice piped up. 

    Another one laughed. "Whoever was the girl that gave you this bouquet clearly has awful taste. They could never possibly match with you." 

    Takumi felt stings of hurt in his chest, but kept watching. He expected Leo to tell them they were nuisance, or at least deny the claims in some shape or form, but to his disappointment, he didn't. Instead the blond answered, "They're just flowers; nothing special to them."  
      
    "Oh, these flowers are beautiful, just not placed in the right arrangement. I'll take out the ones that don't fit for you." One of the women got up close with Leo, picking out the chrysanthemums and daffodils. She dropped them on the ground, and smiled as if she had done something special.

    "Hey-" Leo protested, but the group of noblewomen ignored him and started to lead him back to the main hall. 

    Takumi didn't even notice Leo's obvious discomfort during the whole exchange. In fact, he wasn't even aware of most of the conversation. He had tuned out everything when Leo had said, "nothing special to them." Did Leo really not of Takumi as important? Did he not think anything of the flowers?  
      
    He staggered into a nearby garden of black tulips, despairing over his broken feelings. Maybe he didn't deserve Leo because he was a failure; he was so much of a failure that he couldn't make Leo even recognize his feelings. He was always the imperfect and forgotten child; sometimes forgotten even by his own family. It dawned on him now. Nobody would ever love him. Not his family. Not his people. Not even Leo. They would simply remain friends for the rest of his life. Takumi sat there, curled in a ball, and silently wept. 

  
    A single tulip stuck out from the rest of the field. It grew yellow instead of black. The single yellow tulip swayed in the wind, taunting him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi has been avoiding Leo. Where will that take him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will confess this right now: I felt extremely awkward writing this chapter. Rated T for suggestive language -.-
> 
> Might be OOC a bit.

Leo hadn't seen Takumi since he received the flowers. He still felt disgusted by how those women just destroyed a perfectly fine bouquet. Leo knew them since he was a little boy and under the possessed King Garon's rule. They had tried countless times to try and get him attracted to them, and always pestered him when they got the chance. Usually Leo just went along with what they did, with the hopes that they would leave him alone eventually, but his patience slowly wore thin after all these years. Especially when they destroyed the present Takumi had thoughtfully given him. He finally told them off, threatening to strip them of their noble status if they kept bothering him. He had grinned with satisfaction at their terror and how they immediately paled before scampering off. _Serves them right._  
  
    But the more pressing matter was, Takumi's prolonged absence. Leo had been eager to be able to hang out with the Hoshidan prince, but right now, Leo didn't even see him at the breakfast table.   
      
    "Hey Leo." A voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to meet Corrin's red eyes filled with concern. "Do you find Takumi to be........different lately?"  
  
    "Indeed, I do. I haven't seen him at all since last night." Leo admitted.  
  
    "He hasn't left his room at all. He only lets Oboro, Hinata, and Sakura in his room, and we had to even send breakfast to him." Corrin frowned, visibly worried. "Did something happen last night?"   
  
    Leo tried to recall what could have possibly made Takumi act this way, but came up with nothing. "Nothing major that I can think of."   
  
    "Hmm...." Corrin tapped their foot in concentration. "Somehow we need to ask him what's wrong. Or, since he won't let anyone in besides Oboro, Hinata, and Sakura, we'll have to ask one of them. Oboro and Hinata probably won't tell us if they know, so asking Sakura would be better."  
  
    "That sounds like a plan." Leo nodded. Perhaps _I've done something to hurt you. Whatever it is, I'll fix it._  
  


 

______________________

 

 

    "I-I'll try." Sakura finally agreed, unsure whether it was a good idea to bother her older brother about this. 

    "Thank you, Sakura." Corrin thanked her. 

    "It's no p-problem. I was getting w-worried about big brother too." Sakura explained. "His room is over here." She led them to a windowed hallway, which had Hinata and Oboro stationed in front of it. "I'll be in and out quickly, so just wait h-here where they can't see you." Corrin and Leo nodded, and hid themselves around the corner. They heard the voices of Hinata and Oboro for a second, before the creaking of the door. Now they would wait. Wait for Sakura to try and get some answers from Takumi and come back-

    "Kyahhh!" They heard Sakura scream, and abandoned their hiding place immediately. Hinata and Oboro looked surprised at their appearance at first, but ignored it for the current situation. 

    "Lady Sakura! Are you alright?!" All of them rushed in, weapons drawn, ready to fight off any enemy.

    They found just Sakura next to an empty bed, and an open window. "What happened?!" Corrin exclaimed.

    "He-he's gone!" Sakura leveled her breathing, trying to calm down. "I-I just came in to talk to him, but his room and bed were empty. The window is open though, and he also took Fujin Yumi with him."

    "He ran away?!" Leo's eyes widened at the idea. Why would Takumi do this? He turned to the equally shocked retainers. "You! You guys were standing here the whole time, and you didn't notice his disappearance?!" He fumed.

    The two winced. "We just didn't think Lord Takumi would....." Hinata started.

    "It's not his fault. It's mine." Oboro interrupted him. "Lord Takumi told us to leave him alone, and I especially told Hinata not to disturb up on him." Oboro hung her head in shame. "I've known Lord Takumi for longer than almost anyone else, yet I wasn't able to see this coming. I'm a failure of a retainer."

    "No you aren't!" Hinata told her. "You just respected his personal space and tried to give him time to think about it! Oboro, this isn't the first time Lord Takumi has done something like this, but he's only done it twice before. You can't blame yourself for not expecting it." Oboro continued to shake her head. 

    "I should have at least tried to be there for him; maybe he wouldn't have run away then." Oboro regretted. 

    "What's happened has happened, and that cannot be changed. However....." Hinata pointed outside, where there were a few shoe marks in the dirt. "We can still go after him, he couldn't have gone far." Hinata shook her shoulders. "Come on Oboro! Stop pitying yourself and go redeem yourself! You can still find him." 

    ".....You're right." Oboro looked up, a new fire of resolve burning in her eyes. "I can't stay like this. Lord Takumi must be suffering out there. We need to go find him." She gave Hinata a quick hug. "Thanks, Hinata." 

    Hinata grinned with his signature smile. "No prob."

    Leo felt bad about interrupting their atmosphere, but he reminded them, "Takumi should still be in Windmire. Since he doesn't know the passage to the underground city, he probably is wandering around in the capital. We should start the search immediately; but don't alarm any of the citizens." Everyone nodded. _Be safe Takumi._

    

 

_____________________

 

 

    "Why did I even do this?" Takumi asked himself, as he trudged through the semi-filled streets of Windmire. He just had this desire to leave the stuffy atmosphere of the castle for a bit. Away from all the people he knew, his family, and especially Leo. It was childish, he knew, but Takumi followed it anyway. 

      
    "Seriously, the Nohrian capital is so empty. The streets are like decorations without people." Takumi looked around, occasionally seeing one or two people shuffling about, but otherwise, there really weren't that many people. "Where do the people even live, anyway?"

    As walked aimlessly about, an old woman came up to him. "Are you lost dear? You look Hoshidan, are you new to Windmire?"

    "I actually am a bit lost." Takumi admitted. "I was wondering if Nohr has any local flower gardens or anything. You know, to immerse in Nohrian culture more."

    "Oh, we actually do have a flower garden nearby; although it is very new and only a few buds have sprouted." The old woman pointed down the street. "If you keep following this road and make a left turn at the end, you should find the garden."

    "Thank you." Takumi bowed to the elderly woman, and she shook her head. 

    "Oh it's nothing. It's the least I could do for someone from the kingdom who has helped our lives so much. The restoration of the kingdom has been going very well under King Xander and Prince Leo's rule. You remind me of young Leo. I used to work in the castle, you know?" The old woman told him. "He used to be a sweet boy, until King Garon changed. Now, seeing him at the party, I feel like he's changed a lot; I can still see his younger self occasionally though. And oh-" The old woman jumped slightly as she heard her pocket watch ring. "I've taken too much of your time. I'll be off then, dear. Stay safe." She turned around, and strolled elsewhere. 

    "What a kind person....." Takumi was almost jealous of how kind she was to a stranger, and a Hoshidan no less. "I should learn from her example."

    He followed the old woman's instructions, finding a small garden of various flowers. Takumi gingerly cupped one of the buds, before noticing a small piece of paper next to it that wrote: _"This time was another fail. Nohrian soil truly is hard to work with. Although our kingdom is more stable with the trade with Hoshido, I want to still try to reinvigorate Nohrian soil for agriculture, as we can't rely on Hoshido forever. I'll try again tomorrow, for Nohr. -Leo"_

 _"_ He works so hard for his country.......As opposed to me, who just creates more problems.........." Takumi looked at his calloused hands. _He looks so much smarter and more confident than me. He's even super attractive and talented as well. He's a better prince than I'll ever be._  Takumi felt bitter tears gather at the corners of his eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't even be here. Maybe I belong somewhere else."

    "And would you like me to help you with that, miss?" A voice whispered into his ear. Takumi shivered and whirled around to elbow the mysterious guy in the stomach. "Whoa there!" The guy jumped back barely in time, whistling at the force that Takumi almost hit him at. "So you're the feisty kind, eh? I like it."

    "You disgusting-" Takumi sputtered in disgust, getting a clear view of his attacker. "Who are you?!" He demanded.

    The guy bowed and answered, "I'm called Lionare, the finest of all bandits, my dear lad- wait." He squinted closer, mouth making an 'o' shape.. "Oh, you're a guy. And a Hoshidan." 

    "You just realized that?!" Takumi was greatly offended. He'd been called many things throughout his life, but he had never been called a woman!

    The guy shrugged. "No matter. Female or not, you're still very attractive. I don't discriminate between the two, you know. Nor do I discriminate against Hoshidans either. In fact, it's even more fun." Lionare licked his lips menacingly. Takumi scowled at the bandit. He hated people like this. 

    "Well, it's been nice meeting you, Lionare, but I must be on my way." Takumi muttered through his teeth and turned around, making it only a few steps before he felt his arm being gripped to keep him in place. Takumi ripped his arm out of the grip, glaring at the bandit. 

    "Oh but my darling, why don't you stay awhile? It's not safe in the city right now anyway." Lionare stood in front of Takumi, obscuring the path. 

    Takumi's eyes widened slightly at what he said. "What do you mean?"

    "As bandits, we will be raiding the city while the great fire distracts the soldiers. It will be pure chaos, the people all screaming and the embers burning through the streets." Lionare's eyes brightened as he described the destruction. "I wouldn't recommend that you wander the streets at this time, after all, you wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours, would you?"

    "Nohrian scum....." Takumi seethed with rage at the idea of so much destruction. "As if I'll let you do that!" He drew his Fujin Yumi, aimed a shot at Lionare's smug face, which the bandit narrowly dodged, and ended up hitting the grunt behind him. He immediately started aiming another arrow, but this time, Lionare was prepared. He sidestepped the arrow, lunged forward, surprising Takumi, and knocked Fujin Yumi out of the Hoshidan's hands. While Takumi was trying to regain his balance, Lionare shouted, 

    "Restrain him!"

     Right after he had shouted commands, multiple figures jumped out and pinned Takumi to the ground. Takumi yelped and struggled against them as they tied restraints to his wrists and ankles, but he couldn't move at all. "Whoa, whoa, careful there, don't hurt him or anything. After all, I do need him in top shape later~" He raised Takumi's chin to meet his eyes. "Don't worry, you won't be hurt or anything; at least, not under my care. And this bow of yours should sell for a hefty price."

    "You Nohrian scum!" Takumi tried to spit on the bandit, but he easily dodged out of the way.

    "We can't have you attracting all this attention, sorry, but you'll need to stay quiet for a bit." Lionare stuffed a ball of cloth in Takumi's mouth when he tried to yell at him more, effectively gagging him. "It's only for a little bit; soon you can yell all you want." 

    "Lionare?! Is that you?! What are you doing to that young man?!" A familiar elderly voice exclaimed.

    Lionare whirled around, shock appearing on his face, as he faced the old woman from before. "Mother?!"

    " _Mmph?!"_ Takumi tried to shout, but the gag was doing a great job at being a gag. 

    "Stop this at once Lionare! Stop being a bandit and do the right thing!" The old woman pleaded. "Or I'll have to get the soldiers from the castle." 

    "I don't care; there's nothing to gain from living here with you!" Lionare spat, shoving his mother off of him. "I do what I want now, and it's none of your business! If you plan to get in my way, I'll kill you." He threatened, his mother starting to cry. 

    "Oh, Lionare......." The old woman still refused to move, despite Lionare drawing his dagger.

    " _Nmh!"_ Takumi tried to shout 'No! Get out of here!' except his voice was caught in his throat. This was the first time Takumi had been so helpless. He'd had his moments in the war, but never like this.  

    "Boss! We've lit the flames already! We need to move now if we plan to plunder the city clean." Another bandit informed Lionare. 

    "Fine! But I need to handle some unfinished business here......" Lionare then swiftly stabbed the old woman without any hesitation, watching as she collapsed onto the ground in pain. "I don't need reminders of my past."

    Takumi felt his heart wrench as the old woman gasped in pain, bleeding out onto the road. _No...... It's my fault....... I couldn't save her......_

    The old woman noticed Takumi, and with trembling hands, caressed his face. "I'm so sorry, that you have to go through this. If I had paid more attention to my son, perhaps....." Her entire body trembled and she weakly coughed out blood. "If you manage to escape, please stop my son in any way possible. Please." Her arm went limp, and the light in her eyes dulled.

    Takumi felt something break as he watched this kind woman die. She was a mother. A kind mother to her son, and kind to others. It was like watching Queen Mikoto all over again. Takumi swore vengeance. He would make this scoundrel suffer for what he's done. 

   He pried the knife he had in his clothing out and cut the ropes. Gripping the knife, he rushed the unsuspecting bandit leader. "You'll pay!" He aimed the knife for a clean cut at the throat, but missed as Lionare moved up and slashed his collar instead.  

    "Yikes!" Lionare held his throat cautiously where Takumi would have slashed. "You're a little too dangerous now, darling. I'll have to knock you out if you struggle like this." On cue, a cloth with a sickly sweet scent covered Takumi's mouth, and held his arms in place. 

    "No....." Takumi tried to hold his breath, but he felt his vision and his strength waning away. The last thing he recognized was flares of red flames and Lionare picking up Fujin Yumi. "I'll....get you.......for this....." And everything faded to black.

 

**

 

    "What is going on here?!" Leo cast another water spell, dousing the flames in front of him. He'd only looked around the capital for a bit before he noticed a large amount of flames in the streets. "Are we being attacked? Takumi! Where are you?!" He shouted, hoping his voice would reach the Hoshidan prince. No reply. "Shoot, where could he possibly be?"

    A suspicious figure in black dashed by him, which caught his attention. "Hey! Do you- Wait, come back here!" Leo tried to call out to them, but they ignored him, and he gave chase in hopes of being able to ask if they had seen Takumi. He followed them all the way to a mansion, which Leo recognized belonged to a family of nobles, and was met with the sight of bandits looting the house of all its valuables.

    "Stop! I, Prince Leo of Nohr will arrest you all for these crimes!" The bandits all panicked as Leo revealed who he was, and immediately stopped to escape in a crazed frenzy. Leo cast a few sleep spells that knocked out the majority of the bandits. He noticed a few more getting away though. 

    "Quick! We need to regroup with the Boss and make sure this pretty Hoshidan gets to him!" One bandit shouted to the others.

    _Pretty Hoshidan? There should only be one Hoshidan in the city right now besides Sakura...... Takumi!_  Leo's eyes widened as he realized they were referring to Takumi. He used Brynhildr to immobilize the bandits, and grabbed the collar of the one that mentioned this. "Where is this Hoshidan?! Take me to them!"

    "I-I can't! The Boss will kill me if I disobey him!" The bandit shook with fear.

    Leo made the man look at him straight in the eye, and muttered, "Then I'll give you something to fear that's worse than death. There are many better ways to torture someone than just death."

    "Eek! I'll- I'll take you to him! The Hoshidan is already on the way though." The bandit confessed.

    "Alright. Quickly though. And if you try to double cross me...." Leo willed for the vines to inject liquid into the bandit's arm. "I'll activate the poison that I've given you and it will instantly spread throughout your body and kill you." The bandit frantically nodded his head and gestured shakily for Leo to follow.

   

 

_____________________

 

 

    "You've brought him? Good." Leo could hear a group of voices just around the corner. He hid himself with an invisibility spell and started to inch forward to get a grasp of the situation. He however lost his invisibility when he saw an unconscious Takumi, with blood stains on his face and clothes. 

    "Crap-" Leo realized that he had lost his concentration and was now the main focus of all the eyes in the vicinity. 

    The blond bandit, who appeared to be the leader broke from his shock first. "If it isn't Prince Leo! What brings you to join our humble group today? Oh, and where are my manners? My name is Lionare."

    "That Hoshidan there. He's an acquaintance of mine. I'd like for you to let me have him back." Leo decided to try and negotiate. "If you want, I'll even pay a decent sum for his return."

    Lionare bowed. "What a generous offer! And I'd love to accept, however....." Lionare brushed his hand lightly across Takumi's cheek, greatly aggravating Leo. "I find your friend quite charming, and I am strongly attached. I'm afraid that I cannot give you what is mine, no matter how much you offer."

    "I could always have you arrested, right here and now, for arson and theft." Leo suggested. "All I ask is that you return him, and I'll lower the punishment. 

    Lionare sighed. "You could arrest us; only if you can." He suddenly charged forward, dagger drawn, and aimed straight for Leo's heart. Leo, already prepared for a pre-emptive strike, raised a magical shield. Even though Leo had reacted in time, Lionare's dagger glanced off slightly, but stabbed through the shield, embedding itself in Leo's abdomen.

    "H-How?" Leo staggered back, gripping his wounded abdomen. The wound wasn't deep, but he losing a decent amount of blood. More importantly, how had a simple dagger gotten past his shield?

    "How did I get past your magic shield?" Lionare nonchalantly tossed and caught the dagger. "This is no ordinary dagger; it is an enchanted dagger that can cut through any magic. I got it from a travelling caravan many years back." He eyed the tip of the blade that was stained with blood. "Ever since I found out its capabilities, it's been my main weapon. Quite handy, no?" 

  
    Leo could feel his vision slightly faltering. As if noticing, Lionare smiled. "It seems that you don't feel well. Perhaps I should leave you to rest." He watched as Lionare scooped up Takumi in his arms while smirking.

    "Wait-!" He unfortunately stumbled forward, unable to stand.

    "I bid you a good time, Prince Leo. That wound should be easily treatable." Lionare winked and jumped off with the rest of the bandits like a group of ninjas.

    Corrin, Sakura, Hinata, and Oboro found him moments later. Sakura gasped at his wound and immediately went to healing it.

    "What happened?" Corrin inquired. "We just finished putting out the fires around the capital, but we couldn't catch the bandits that started it."

    "Takumi was taken by those bandits. I think that they ganged up on him, since he did have his Fujin Yumi." Leo tried to stand up, but winced and Sakura sat him down again. 

    "Don't move too much! It would be b-bad if your wound reopens!" Sakura looked at Leo with a face that clearly said 'please don't do it.'

    "But what about Takumi? We need to find out where he is." Leo reasoned. "I don't like the tone he was talking with. I think we should try to find Takumi as soon as possible." 

    "We should ask for Xander and Ryoma's help. The more people, the faster the search goes, right?" Corrin suggested. 

    "You guys can do that. Me and Hinata will go search for Lord Takumi." Oboro stated. "You should rest first, Lord Leo. We'll handle the search."

    "But," Sakura started. "It's better to- oh!" Oboro and Hinata had already ran off before she could finish. 

    "Take me with you!" Leo attempted to stand again, but this time Sakura held him down. "Dang it! Takumi's in danger because I couldn't save him and I can't even join the search." 

    "L-Leo! You need to make sure that your wounds are okay; you can't help Big Brother if you're hurt." Sakura started to raise her voice slightly.

    ".....Fine." Leo admitted that she had a point. He would be more of a burden if he was injured. _I promise to come rescue you soon, Takumi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad now, but sometimes for the sake of love I must let my characters suffer ;-;
> 
> Lionare is the OC if you didn't know yet. (I totally didn't use Leo's name as an idea)
> 
> Lionare's sentences are almost as bad as Niles'. 
> 
> If anyone is curious about what Lionare's mother's name is, it's Bedauern. I never get the chance to mention it in text because there isn't really a need for it. 
> 
> Yes, Takumi carries a knife with him for plot convenience. Don't question it.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. I blame all the LeoKumi fluff I've been reading. I was reading about Japanese culture and symbols since I'm such Birthright trash. Cookies to anyone who guesses what the flowers mean. 
> 
> This was meant to be a short one-shot of Takumi sending flowers to Leo and trying to convey different messages. This is way more than I originally planned.
> 
> Also, the I kinda borrowed knives_chau's idea of Takumi being an anxious child. If you would like me to change anything please say so in the comments.
> 
> Comments and critiques are very welcome and appreciated.


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